The area was included in the José de Escandón colony in the 1750s.
In 1777 the land was awarded to Rosa María Hinojosa de Ballí. A chapel
was built by the Oblate Fathers in 1824.

A post office was opened in 1878 and by 1880 the town was a stage
stop and supported two schools. Four years later the estimated population
was 500, but just two years later it had fallen to a mere 100 persons.
In 1913 the San Benito and Rio Grande Valley Railway came through
and made the town a stop.

Although the post office was closed in 1921 - it reopened in 1925.
By 1931 the town had increased to 320 people who shopped at 16 stores.
The population has see-sawed beween a low of 100 and a high of 281
from the 30s through the 70s. A colonia developed and by 1976 it had
an estimated 776 people living there. By the mid 80s the colonia had
increased to over 1,000 residents living on 25 acres. Santa Maria
proper still reports a population estimate of around 200.